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Zuri (Earth-11584)
History "I asked your father to bring the boy home with us...to raise him as my own. He forbid it. And since I owed him my life, I was in no position to defy him." '''Zuri '''was a Wakandan citizen who was born into the Merchant Tribe of Wakanda. The son of a trader by the name of Badu, Zuri was not of high birth, but rather rose up through the ranks of Wakandan society through hard work and perseverence, as well as a friendship he had with King T'Chaka, whom he had met in passing during his training as a member of the War Dogs. It was as a member of this group that Zuri would find his life intertwined with that of the Royal Family, as he was personally asked by King T'Chaka to travel to America to keep an eye on his younger brother, Prince N'Jobu, who had recently been sent overseas to act as a spy for Wakanda. What he discovered upon arriving in Los Angeles was disturbing, as the prince had taken an American wife and had a young son named N'Jadaka. Zuri continued his mission unabated, adopting the pseudonym James Thompson and befriending the undercover prince, with N'Jobu never suspecting that his friend was really a spy sent to keep tabs on him. The guise was revealed though after N'Jobu gave information to the Arms Dealer Ulysses Klaue, allowing him to steal a significant amount of Vibranium in exchange for weapons and capital in funding a revolution. Zuri sent evidence of the prince's wrongdoing back to Wakanda, causing T'Chaka to arrive personally to bring N'Jobu back to stand trial. Despite feeling betrayed at Zuri's "betrayal", N'Jobu wanted a request of T'Chaka, one that the king would not even give audience too. He attempted to hold Zuri hostage to be heard, only for T'Chaka to kill his own brother. The request, though, was that they bring N'Jobu's son, N'Jadaka, back to Wakanda with them. Rather than suffer the scandal of the boy and N'Jobu's betrayal, T'Chaka left the boy behind despite Zuri's pleas to let him raise him as his own, telling Zuri never to mention the story to anyone. As time passed, Zuri left the War Dogs and became a leading shaman within Wakanda. In time, he was named the Keeper of the Heart-Shaped Herb and thus the High Priest of Wakanda, overseeing rituals and ceremonies such as the funeral of King T'Chaka and the Ascension Ceremony of Prince T'Challa. After T'Challa's successful ascension to the throne, Zuri returned to his Grove to care for the Herbs, giving one to the newly crowned king to restore his powers. However, Zuri would be forced by T'Challa to recount the story of his uncle after he came across a grown N'Jadaka in Busan, South Korea. Despite explaining that he disagreed with his father, T'Challa lambasted Zuri for not fighting harder to safe N'Jadaka. Later, Zuri was forced to oversee a ritual challenge between the two cousins, one that N'Jadaka seemingly won. After administering a Heart-Shaped Herb to the newly crowned king, N'Jadaka turned on Zuri for his betrayal of his father, and killed him in the grove in cold blood. Powers & Abilities * War Dog Training: In his youth, Zuri was given training as a member of the War Dogs, giving him skills in combat, espionage and stealth. He was very skilled in the latter of these two, as he was able to fool the prince of Wakanda into believing he was an American, when in reality he was sent to keep an eye on him. * Spear of Bashenga: As the High Priest of Wakanda, Zuri carried the large spear of Bashenga, which was supposedly the weapon used by the first Black Panther. The Spear is mostly used for ceremonial purposes, but it theoretically could be used as an offensive weapon as well. Weaknesses Zuri is advanced in age, and seems to be afflicted with some sort of arthritis given how he is usually hunched over. He also has no special abilities that would protect him from harm, as he was stabbed by N'Jadaka with a Vibranium spear in the Grove of the Heart-Shaped Herb. Film Details Zuri appears in the following films within the Earth-11584 continuity. In a flashback he is portrayed by Atandwa Kani. In all other cases he is portrayed by John Kani. * Black Panther (Earth-11584) Category:Earth-11584 Category:Earth-11584 Characters Category:Good Characters